The man in the picture above is esteemed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. In 2011, he was condemned to house arrest and facing a potential six-year prison sentence due to the Iranian government's proclamation that he was creating anti-Iran propaganda in his films. He is also facing a potential twenty-year ban on filmmaking, giving foreign interviews of any kind, or even leaving the country. As he awaited the results on an appeal for his case, he switched on a video camera and began to record a day in his apartment. And so begins This is Not a Film: a powerful rally for artistic freedom and a fascinating look at one artist's fight to hold onto his dreams.
Throughout the course of the film (Or non-film...whatever we're calling it), we pay witness to Panahi's life - His conversations with lawyers, family, neighbors, etc. When his friend and colleague Motjaba Mintahmasb pays him a visit, Panahi hands over the camera and, with screenplay in hand, begins to dictate to us what his next feature would have been if that pesky Iranian government hadn't gotten in the way. He interjects with location scout footage and shows off headshots of the various actors he had planned to cast. He also traces out a floor plan on his living room rug representing the apartment location he had originally intended to use. He describes everything with a youthful energy and even takes the time to explain how an actor can bring something to the role that wasn't in the script (He shows footage from one of his earlier films in which an acting noobie gives a very natural performance). Throughout the rest of his day, he appears to engage in a regular routine: Watching movies, watching the news, discussing his sentence, watching the fireworks outside (And filming them with his iPhone), all this while taking care of the family's pet iguana.
It may not seem like much is happening, but what we are seeing in This is Not a Film is nothing short of extraordinary. The fact that Panahi was able to perform a quiet rebellion of sorts and express himself artistically despite the limitations placed on him is astonishing and should cause all aspiring filmmakers who do nothing more than sit on their asses all day as they wait for a great wave to sweep them to fame and fortune feel awfully ashamed of themselves.
It may not be conventional storytelling, but This is Not a Film serves as a resounding protest against artistic oppression and this alone makes it an admirable effort in every conceivable respect. My best wishes to Jafar, his family, and friends. I hope he finds his way to freedom soon.
FINAL RATING: 4/5
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